(Photo courtesy of socialmonsters.org)
Building team morale has come a long way from trust falls and sales competitions. With companies like GoDaddy and Google leading the pack of innovative companies that offer employees perks like free food (for breakfast, lunch and dinner), game rooms to blow off steam and on-site medical staff. All these perks make for a very happy workforce. Take some cues from these groundbreaking startups when it comes to building a great rapport with your employees, as well as encouraging them to work like a well-oiled machine. Here are the best ways to build the team mentality into your office culture outside of the office.
Build More than a Great Team
Building a great team can get easier when everyone is focused on building something else. Just look at these examples from TeamBonding.com of all the opportunities for teams to build everything from mini-golf courses to catapults. Giving the whole team a common goal, aside from completing work assignments and making money for the company, is likely to build the foundation for better communication, motivation and daily interaction. Building a better mousetrap usually gets employees out of their chairs and outside (or at least down on the floor) and mentally stimulated. Give them some cool tools to do it, like these crazy-folding laptops they can take anywhere, and they’ll be begging to come in on a Saturday. Maybe.
Give Back
The best way to make people forget about their petty problems is to show them some real ones. That’s why volunteering has been a cornerstone of team-building exercises for years. And now it’s even easier to find volunteering opportunities close to your heart, and the company’s mission. If you’re a real estate company, sign up the crew to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. If you own a salon, offer to do makeup and nails for cancer patients or a women’s shelter. This will help employees relate to the work they’re doing as well as each other with passion and compassion.
Another way to get them excited about volunteering is to set up a regular volunteer day. Each month, a different employee can choose a favorite cause. Then, the whole office can join in and learn more about the charity and the person who chose it.
Get Active
Promoting physical and mental health through outdoor activities is another way to destress your workforce and bring them together through camaraderie and even some friendly competition. Some employees respond to highly athletic, competitive activities like softball or marathon training. While others might respond better to calmer activities like yoga or power walking. It’s important to get the pulse on what your employees are looking for and what your corporate culture can benefit from. Incentivization works great for this kind of team building, and it doesn’t have to be expensive gift cards or spa days. Letting participants out of work an hour or two early on a Friday to go for a long walk is simple, relaxing and motivating for anyone on staff.
Break Bread
It’s personal, intimate, and we just don’t do it enough anymore — have a meal and enjoy each other’s company. Discourage cell phone use, encourage work- and non-work-related conversation, and get as many departments together as possible for a real meal. You can keep costs down by making it a potluck and ordering in a yummy dessert. Lunches are much easier to pull off since most people don’t like having their evenings commandeered by work functions. A weekly or monthly company breakfast is another great way to get the day, week or month off to a bright and cheery start and a couple dozen bagels and a big box of coffee isn’t going to break the bank. When the weather is nice, consider making this a picnic. Getting the team out of the office, if only for an hour, can transform mood and energy levels.
